Letter: Gay men and women deserve the support and respect of the community

Gays deserve support, respect

- -DOUG WOJCIK/Stevens Point Journal. Mike Fink sets the flag in place at the entrance to Club Night Out in the town of Carson as Barry Callahan, center, and Dan Wrycha observe. They are planning a Central Pride Day Out at the tavern on Aug. 7.

EDITOR: It saddens me greatly to hear an elected official use a derogatory term like "deviant" to describe the gay men and women who call this community home, as Wausau City Council member David Nutting did at a recent council meeting.

It's hard to fathom that in this day and age some people still believe being gay is a choice or that it is wrong. Gay men and women don't choose to be gay any more than I choose to be heterosexual. It is who I am. It is who I was created to be. Gay men and women are exactly who they are created to be. They do not deserve to be discriminated against, hated or ridiculed. They deserve to be treated with respect, tolerance, kindness and love - just like everyone does.

Look around you. There are gay men and women in all walks of life: your coworker, your neighbor, your mother, your son, your sister, your uncle, your friend. The gay men and women of this community deserve our support and respect.